MacBreak Weekly 1010: "A Strand of Woz's Beard Hair"

Date: February 4, 2026
Panel: Leo Laporte (Host), Micah Sargent, Shelly Brisbin, Andy Ihnatko
Jason Snell out; Christina Warren to join in late Feb

Episode Overview

This episode dives into Apple's record-breaking quarterly earnings, the company's push toward subscriptions and AI, the introduction of new hardware and services, consumer backlash to ads and subscriptions, Apple's acquisition of an ambitious AI startup, design and accessibility news, and rumors about the forthcoming iPhone Fold. The tone is classic MacBreak: geeky, humorous, skeptical of corporate overreach, and always focused on the implications for real-world users.

1. Apple's Record Quarter: Humble Brags and Big Numbers

[03:06]

• Tim Cook’s Quote of the Week: "The iPhone has sold in staggering numbers."
  • Apple posts their highest quarterly revenue ever: $143 billion in 3 months, with iPhone sales making up $85.3B (+23% YoY).
  • China revenue up 38%; iPad up 6%; wearables down 2%; Mac revenue down 7% ("the poorest" category).
• Jason Snell Predicted: Apple's biggest quarter ever—"not a real stretch," panel jokes.
• Why the Drop in Macs:
  • 2025's M5 MacBook launch created a "difficult compare."
  • Mac Mini sales skyrocket due to emergent demand for AI agents like OpenClaude.
  • Services profit margin: 76.5% – "All profit, basically all the way down." [A, 07:25]
• Notable Quote:
  "The cash flow must flow." – Leo Laporte, channeling Jason Snell’s glee [09:19]
• Growth in India and China:
  • Apple claims they're still winning over Android and Windows users ("we have not tapped the end of that vein yet." – Andy Ihnatko [15:12])

2. AI Reckoning and The Two Paths for Apple

[16:10]

• Gurman's Take: Despite record sales, Apple must become an AI-first company to win the next 25 years.
• Panel Skepticism:
  • Leo: "Huge mistake to cater to command-line AI fans and abandon GUI users. Their core audience is GUI users." [17:18]
  • Shelly: Links AI skepticism to users overwhelmed by relentless marketing and features they didn’t ask for.

    "There is AI rejection because it feels like something that they didn’t really want." [18:22]

• Andy on Apple’s Stance:
  Apple is positioning AI as one option, not the only path:
  "AI is something you choose, that you can absolutely do if you want on a Mac... but it’s not being thrust down your throat. And I think Apple would be smart to note what’s happening to Microsoft." [21:00]
• Consumer Pushback: The Microsoft Copilot backlash used as a cautionary tale.
• AI on the Mac:
  • panel notes the Mac's suitability for AI tools (RAM, NPUs, command-line orientation).
  • Real adoption may be fragmented: GUI "traditional computing" vs. AI/agentic workflows.

3. Subscriptions and Ads—How Far is Too Far?

[23:19]

• Apple Subscriptions: With Creator Studio, the company is "getting a little greedy," now pushing subscriptions for former freebies like iWork apps, plus more ads in iWork UI.
• User Pushback:
  • Andy: "That absolutely is just crossing lines they shouldn’t cross." [24:05]
  • Shelly: Skeptical that Pages/Numbers updates warrant a paid upgrade—Google Docs and Office365 are strong alternatives.
  • Leo: "One of the real selling points of the Mac was all the stuff that came built in for free. Right." [26:55]
• Pro Tip: If subscribing to Creator Studio, cancel separate app subscriptions to avoid redundant charges [27:17]
• Adobe vs. Apple Subscription:
  • Panel notes inertia and muscle memory with Adobe apps will slow Apple's transition efforts.

4. Mac Configuration Changes—New Buy Flow

[31:48] – [38:35]

• Apple Store's new configurator: No more "good-better-best" options. Now granular, step-wise configuration designed to increase per-device spend.
  • Shelly: May be confusing for novices (extra core/memory choices), but smarter users will welcome increased control.
  • Andy: "I think that’s really is all there is to it. ...Basically make more money per device this way." [33:49]

5. Apple's $2B AI Acquisition: Speculative, Not Sexy

[38:35] – [44:58]

• QAI ($2B) is Apple’s 2nd-largest ever, after Beats.
  • Startup specializes in interpreting facial micro-expressions for "silent speech."
• Speculation:
  • AI talent/talent acquisition seems likeliest (panel is skeptical facial expression reading will be consumer-facing soon, but see potential for accessibility, patent defense, and future platforms).
  • "Unless… this will help with ad sales. If I can turn on the camera and see how people are reacting to my ads, I can target..." – Leo, only half-joking [41:17]
  • Andy: "You have to pay a lot of money, right?... $2 billion though." [44:39]
• Apple's AI Hiring Crunch: The high cost reflects the need to retain ML/AI experts amid a "huge brain drain."

6. Patreon, The Apple Tax, and Creator Backlash

[49:13]

• Apple now enforcing 30% fee on Patreon creators for in-app purchases starting November 1.
• Most (96%) don't use the app, but "it's absolutely rent seeking."" [49:51]
• Andy: "The App Store is Apple’s personality when it drinks." [51:16]
• Panel universally condemns Apple’s action as anti-creator and anti-consumer.

7. Fines for Privacy/Antitrust—It's All Pocket Change

[55:00]

• Proton's "Tech Fines Tracker" highlights Apple’s 2025 fines: $851M (down from $2.1B), “the cost of doing business.”
• "Fines are a fraction of the total amount they make… it's a cost of doing business." – Leo [56:00]

8. Camo Sues Apple for Sherlocking

[58:35]

• Camo, the iPhone-as-webcam pioneer, is now suing for patent infringement over Apple's Continuity Camera.
• "This took a long time..." – Micah suggests the lag signals Apple’s market impact has finally reached fatal levels for Camo [59:28]

9. Apple Auction Oddities—A Strand of Woz's Beard Hair

[63:18] – [69:51]

• An Apple-1 prototype, known as the “Celebration Board”, sells for $2.7M; the earliest Jobs/Woz check for $2.4M.
• Auction also features Jobs’ childhood ribbon cable ($3,000), bow ties ($113k), and various desk items.
• Andy: "Apple ones were always, were always like through the roof valuable…” [65:08]
• Panel hopes historical artifacts are kept accessible, not locked on a yacht.

10. iPhone Fold & Flip—Specs and User Worries

[71:45] – [84:34]

• Weibo and other leakers now agree: iPhone Fold’s buttons move to top right, enabling the biggest-ever battery; likely iPad Mini-like in layout.
• Leo: "In my mind, I hope I'm right, I'm thinking of it as an iPad that folds into a phone, not a phone that unfolds into an iPad." [72:41]
• Panel discusses flip phone nostalgia, Android foldable limitations.
  • Micah: "You have no idea the number of influencers you’re going to see with flip iPhones..."
  • Andy: envisions the object as "the size of a compact" and "good for lady pockets." [81:39]
• Gurman: Apple still undecided, but considering both fold and clamshell flip forms.

11. Agentic AI Coding Comes To Xcode—Is This The Future?

[89:00]

• Apple rolls out agentic code integration to Xcode, letting you code with Claude or OpenAI’s Codex built in.
• Panel: Command line still king for serious agentic/AI workflows.
  • Leo: "Once you start using this, you’re not really writing that much code. You’re letting the agent do the things." [89:54]
  • Andy: Wonders how it integrates into real team workflow, not just for hobbyists.
• Firefox gives in to backlash: adds master switch to turn AI features off.

12. Miscellaneous Tips & Features

[95:03]

• Finder now has auto-sizing columns (MacOS 26.1+), a long-time wish-list item.
• “Generated Passwords” not yet saved now easily findable in iOS 26.
• Apple TV Maps now used as weird promo content for Apple TV series.

13. Security and Privacy Enhancements

[100:32]

• Apple’s 262-page Platform Security doc demonstrates best-in-class transparency; random number generation, BlastDoor, Lockdown Mode explained.
• New C-Series modem feature: Carriers can request fine location; only Boost (as of now) respects Apple’s new "limit tracking" toggle.
• Andy: expects carriers will sue Apple over privacy improvements—"this was a better argument five or six years ago than today." [104:22]

14. Accessibility Spotlight: Winter Olympics Audio Description

[115:28]

• Peacock/NBC will offer audio description (for blind/low vision) and captions for nearly all Winter Olympics events.
• Shelly: “There are companies and individuals who, you know, will provide audio description. All Netflix Originals are described..." [116:09]

15. Panel Picks

[122:55]

• Shelly: Transit app – The best dedicated public transit navigation; intuitive, crowdsourced real-time updates.
• Leo: Apple Unsold site—get rare Apple retail hardware, display accessories, and oddities (but hurry, high demand!).
• Micah: Picky Pad – Quiet, satisfying fidget toy to replace nail-biting/picking.
• Andy: Reelgood.com – Best site to search movie availability across all streaming platforms.

16. Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The App Store is Apple’s personality when it drinks…" – Andy, on Apple’s rent-seeking [51:16]
• "I think subscriptions and ads are consumer-hostile. I don't know if users are going to like that." – Leo [23:26]
• "You have no idea the number of influencers you’re going to see with flip iPhones." – Micah [79:06]
• "Apple’s second biggest acquisition ever...a $2B check for micro-expression silent speech. … Maybe it’s just a talent acquisition entirely." – Leo [41:17]
• "There's a beard hair from Wozniak in one of the solders. No, I'm making that up." – Leo, on Apple’s prototype auction [65:08]
• "There's people who want to type at the terminal and people who want to click with their mouse. And the mouse-clicking people don't really want this." – Leo, on AI/agentic code tools vs. GUI [93:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:06] Apple earnings breakdown & supply constraints
• [12:01] Apple's AI messaging & collaboration with Google
• [16:10] Gurman’s take and the two approaches for Apple's future
• [23:19] Subscriptions, ads and user backlash
• [38:35] $2B QAI acquisition speculation
• [49:13] Patreon 30% fee controversy
• [55:00] Tech fines petition/protest
• [58:35] Camo sues Apple for Sherlocking
• [63:18] Apple memorabilia auction stories
• [71:45] Details and speculation on iPhone Fold/Flip
• [89:00] Agentic AI coding in Xcode
• [95:03] Finder, password, and other tip highlights
• [100:32] Apple security documentation & cellular privacy toggle
• [115:28] Accessible Winter Olympics TV via audio description
• [122:55] Picks of the week

Tone & Takeaway

• The panel brings sharp analysis with a side of skepticism at Apple's increasing push into subscriptions/ads and PR-driven AI efforts.
• Strong appreciation for consumer/user advocates, accessibility, and tools that provide more control/freedom.
• Panelists yearn for old-school Apple values—free, innovative, non-hostile—and mourn their possible loss under services-first logic.
• As always, news is delivered with wit, warmth, and deeply informed perspective.

End of Summary